About the Show

CNBC goes inside a 21st century war in cyber space where national security, the economy and critical infrastructure are at risk. In a world without borders, do we have the defenses to keep us safe?I

In the United States, we are Internet dependent. Our financial systems, power grids, telecommunications, water supplies, flight controls and military communications are all online – making them vulnerable to countless attacks by cyber criminals. The goal could be a 10-minute blackout, an attack on our national security, a stock trading glitch or the theft of millions of dollars worth of intellectual property. The FBI has recently made cyber crime a number one priority, one that costs the U.S. an estimated trillion dollars a year.

CNBC's "Code Wars", hosted by Melissa Lee , takes you onto the frontlines of the war on cyber. Cyber attacks are almost impossible to trace, making cyber crime and acts of cyber warfare the ultimate anonymous crime. So how do we protect our systems whose components are largely manufactured abroad? Can our nation's infrastructure be protected from cyber attacks? And how can the U.S. win a war in which conventional rules of combat do not apply? CNBC tackles the tough questions in "Code Wars: America's Cyber Threat."

The Department of Defense, Homeland Security and other government agencies aren't just patrolling our physical space, they're also guarding cyberspace -- everywhere from the house on the corner to the White House is a potential victim.

Estonia, a country known for its Internet connectivity, was assaulted by the first ever cyber attack against a nation in 2007. Government and financial services were taken down. The attack shook the confidence of the country. Could an attack like that happen in the U.S.?

No one wants to see the hackers who prey on cyber security flaws profit from their actions. But given the widespread nature of the threat, investors have an opportunity to capitalize on a sector that’s only growing in importance.

Banks, credit unions and other financial institutions that move money are square in the cyber criminals' crosshairs, but they're not the only ones in danger. Defense industries and governmental institutions are also being targeted.